


Live a Little

by Lilluv



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Fluff, Inspired by Music, M/M, No Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26563216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilluv/pseuds/Lilluv
Summary: What if Reggie, Luke, and Alex didn't die that night of the Orpheum and got to play their show? How would everyone's lives change? And how would they stay the same?
Relationships: Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 6
Kudos: 135





	1. I Can't Believe There's No Street Dogs!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So, before we begin, I would just like to say that this story features a twenty-two year old Julie, and a forty-seven year old Luke pursuing a relationship together. All actions in this story are totally consensual, and, since Julie is not a minor, legal. If you have issues with this age difference, please click away now. Otherwise, enjoy!

"I can't believe there were no good places for street dogs," Luke complained as he walked into a pizza place with Alex and Reggie in tow. They all grabbed slices and headed back to the Orpheum.

When they got back, they were not at all shocked to see Bobby and that girl they had met earlier - Rose - kissing on the stage. The boys shared a look, then snuck up to the stage and all screamed "Boo!" behind Bobby, making him jump five feet in the air.

"What the hell, guys?" Bobby exclaimed, and they just laughed. Rose put her hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. He smirked at her and quickly kissed her again before she walked away.

* * *

The band brought the house down that night at the Orpheum. Alex, Luke, and Reggie hit a few clubs after to celebrate, but Bobby just went home with Rose. The next day, he insisted the two of them didn't sleep together, but the rest of them weren't so sure.

* * *

After the show, the band got big. Like really big. Really fast. They were booking so many gigs that they had to start turning some down because multiple places would ask them to play there on the same day.

They even got a few offers from managers, and they ended up going with this older woman who was in a rock band herself when she was their age. She was pretty cool for an adult by their standards.

* * *

Rose and Bobby didn't last long. She would always hang out with all four of them, but Bobby always said it was a little awkward when they were alone. They broke up mutually on good terms about a month after their big break and decided to stay friends. And they stayed true to their word. Rose hung around the band a lot and even was featured in a few of their songs where they wanted a female lead. She had a great voice.

* * *

The boys went on tour after tour for years after they made it big. They would only spend a few months at a time in LA, otherwise, they were touring. For a while, Rose went with them. She sang with them in their songs and was their roadie (she didn't like that word, but the boys used it anyway). But, about five years after that fateful night at the Orpheum, Rose met Ray.

The boys were really happy for her when she did. He even became great friends with the band, too. They weren't quite ready to settle down yet then, they wanted to be free to go on tours for a while longer, without having families at home tying them down.

But, soon after Rose met Ray, she stopped going on tours with them. She stayed home and helped the band write songs while they were in LA. Nothing changed with their friendship, but they missed her on tours. And she missed going with them.

* * *

Ray proposed after they had been together about a year, and Rose was sure to schedule the wedding on a day that the guys were home and not off on tour so they could be there. They offered to play at her wedding, but she told them she wanted them to enjoy the night just as guests. She did let them play a few songs, though, after Luke gave her his puppy dog eyes that she just couldn't refuse.

It was a great night. They all had so much fun, and all of them would never forget that day. Reggie even met a cute waitress girl, Meredith, there. They hit it off right away and started dating.

Soon after the wedding, Rose and Ray had their first daughter, Julie. Then a few years later, Carlos. By the time he was born, Reggie was married to Meredith, Bobby was in a serious relationship with a girl named Vicky, and they had a daughter together named Carrie, and Alex was engaged to a guy named Willie who lived in San Francisco. They couldn't get married yet, since marriage equality was still being debated in the Supreme Court, but they were holding out for a day that they could.

Luke was the only one who was still single, and he was happy that way. He said he wasn't against a serious relationship, but he was waiting for the right girl to come along. He would date a girl for a few weeks sometimes, but it just never worked out. And he was ok with that.

* * *

They guys stopped going on so many tours around the time Carlos was born. Reggie was married and planning on kids, Bobby had a kid and a great girlfriend (who was always complaining about how he wasn't proposing, but he had a ring in his sock drawer and was just waiting for the right time), and Alex had a fiancée. The still went on tours, but they just weren't doing as many so they got to spend more time with their families.

* * *

Julie was about fifteen when Rose got sick. The doctors said she probably wasn't going to make it to see Julie graduate high school. But she was a fighter. She lasted longer than anyone expected.

* * *

She died when Julie was twenty-one. And the fact that she made it as long as she did was amazing. She fought long and hard, but her sickness won. And it hit Luke and Julie the hardest out of everyone. Julie couldn't even touch a piano or sing a note for a year after. And even when she did, it took a lot of convincing from Luke. And this is where the story really begins.


	2. You're Doing So Well, Don't Stop Now

Luke knew Julie from the day she was born. He wasn't around a whole lot for the first few years of her life, but once the band was home all the time when they took a break from touring, all the guys were around almost every day since they were in and out of the studio (Ray and Rose just so happened to buy the house that their studio was at. Rose said it was a coincidence, but all the guys knew she just wanted an excuse to keep them around because she let them keep their studio there). Julie and Luke would write songs and play together all the time, and the two of them always had a special connection that words couldn't really describe. All he knew was that they knew each other in ways they didn't even know themselves. But, after Julie's mom died, she didn't want anything to do with music. She and her mom would always play the piano and sing together. The last time she ever touched a piano was two days before her mom died when they sang together.

* * *

Julie and Luke were sitting in the studio. Julie was on her phone on the couch and Luke was trying to work out a song for the band. He was trying to use the piano as a frame of reference for the notes, but he was never any good at it, and he just couldn't work out which notes were where. And he knew trying to do it with his guitar never worked out well.

"Hey, Julie?" Luke asked. "Can you help me with this song for a minute?"

"Umm..." Julie said, "I don't know." Luke could tell she was hesitant, but he really needed help.

"Here," he said, getting up from the piano bench. He walked over to her and held his hand out to help her up. He knew she didn't need help standing up, but he just wanted an excuse to hold her hand. She took it and stood up. They walked hand in hand to the piano bench. They sat side by side there, with their arms brushing.

"What did you need help with?" She asked.

"So, I just can't work out the chords." He explained. "I'm not too bad with the notes, but chords are hard."

"Ok, what chord?" She asked, not touching the piano. He could tell she really didn't want to. After all, the last time she did was with her mother over a year ago.

"I can't decide if I want it in a major or minor key." He explained. "Can you play a B-flat major and a B-flat minor?"

Julie took a deep breath. Luke could see the internal struggle inside her head. He could tell she wanted to help, she really did, but she also wanted to run the other way and go hide in her room.

Her face changed just slightly, and he could tell she made a decision. She took his hands in hers and put them on the piano, and his heart skipped a beat. She arranged his fingers, one on a white key, then on a black, then another white. She was very careful not to actually touch the piano.

"This is B-Flat Major." She explained, and he played the chord. It was a beautiful, melodic sound. Then she moved his rightmost finger to another black key. "And this is B-Flat Minor."

"Thanks." He smiled and started playing the chords over and over again, and in different octaves. He just needed to figure out what key this song was going to be in.

To Luke's surprise, Julie didn't get up. She just sat there and watched. He thought for sure she would leave the bench as soon as he didn't need help anymore, but Luke guessed she was still curious.

She sat there for a while as he figured out the lyrics to the song, just staring at the keys. Her hand moved closer and closer to the keys the longer she sat there. He could tell she wanted to play the piano again. She longed to touch the keys. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

Eventually, her fingers were just hovering over the keys. Luke has given up on trying to write and was just watching her. He wanted to help her, but he didn't know if he wanted to disturb her progress. She was so close.

Her fingers finally touched, and she laid her hands down on a B-Flat Major Chord. She pressed down on the keys, making a sound, and she gasped as if she wasn't expecting it to make a sound at all.

She pulled her hands away, but Luke took her hands in his and put them back on the piano. "No, Julie. You're doing so well. Don't stop now." He put her hands on the keys and made her play a chord. Well, it couldn't really be described as a chord, just three notes that sounded horrid together. Julie giggled at the sound, and that made Luke smile.

She started to play a song, one she and her mom wrote together, and tears started streaming down her face, but she smiled through the whole thing. Luke could tell she finally felt alive again. He could see it in her eyes.

"That was beautiful, Julie." Luke smiled.

She started to put her hand down as he was bringing his up, and their hands brushed as they passed each other. Luke's heart did a little flip when they did, which was not a new experience. That had been happening for a while now. He just wasn't sure what to do about it.

* * *

Luke was laying in his bed in his small apartment later that night, staring up at the ceiling. He knew that he could afford whatever kind of house he wanted with all the money the band had made over the years, but he never saw a reason to buy a big house when he would be living alone in it. He was never really home anyway. He spent most of his time at the studio or on tour.

He couldn't get his mind off of how he felt when his hand brushed Julie's earlier that day. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about her in a romantic way. He was twenty-five years older than her, and he had known her for her entire life. Hell, he met her the day she was born. He just couldn't get her out of his head.

Then song lyrics started floating around in his brain, and he got up, turned the light on, grabbed his song journal, and started writing.


	3. It's Just A Childhood Crush

Julie had always had a little crush on Luke. He was hot, that was no question, and she had a childhood crush on him for as long as she could remember. But it was just that - a childhood crush that nothing could come from. He was an adult, and she was kind of a child. Yes, she was twenty-two now and no longer a child, but Luke was forty-seven years old. Twenty-five years older than her. He was more than double her age, and that's why nothing could ever happen between them.

* * *

Julie felt amazing after playing the piano again. She didn't realize how much she missed it until her hands touched the keys again today. She just hated that she couldn't get Luke out of her mind as she laid in her bed that night.

She had always hated that little backflip her heart did every time her hand touched Luke's. It drove her crazy, and not in a good way. She just wanted it to stop happening. She wanted to move on.

Bobby, Luke, Reggie, and Alex had been around her entire life. She was told they were even there the day she was born. And Reggie, Bobby, and Alex were always like uncles to her. Around for dinner a few times a week, especially after her mom died, always making music at the studio. Hell, she and Bobby's daughter, Carrie, are like cousins. And she knew she was supposed to see Luke the same way, but the two of them always had this connection that she didn't share with the other guys.

Yeah, he was always around, just like the rest of them. There was no reason why her relationship with Luke should be any different than with the other Sunset Curve members, but it just was. And she couldn't describe why.

She rolled over in bed and sighed. She hated the feeling of not knowing and the feeling of helplessness, especially since her mom died since she felt that all the time while her mom was in the hospital.

Her phone dinged from her nightstand. She squinted at the light as she picked it up, and saw it was a text from Flynn.

 **Flynn:** _did u do the packet for johnson's class? because im so confused_

"Oh shit!" Julie exclaimed, jumping out of bed and turning on her lights. She stumbled over to her desk and turned her computer on. She was supposed to do a ten-page packet for her Music Theory 401 class and totally forgot. She and Flynn were seniors majoring in Music Production at the LA College of Music and had most of their classes together. She only had two months of the semester left before she graduated, so her senioritis was really kicking in.

She pulled up the PDF on her laptop and flipped it into tablet mode, pulling the stylus out of its little sheath inside the laptop, and started filling out the questions. Music Theory always came easy to her, ever since high school when she started learning it. It just made sense to her.

She picked up her phone and typed a quick text back.

 **Julie:** _which questions do u need help with?_

Helping Flynn with homework was a good distraction from her wandering thoughts about Luke. This was just a childhood crush resurfacing after their mini intimate moment in the studio today. He didn't like her like that. There was no way he did... right?

* * *

Julie barely got any sleep that night, between finishing her homework and not being able to get her mind off Luke. She almost slept through her first class that morning. Luckily, Flynn called her to ask a homework question and it woke her up. She rushed to get out the door and to class on time, and still barely made it. But she couldn't focus on anything that was going on in class, because she just kept reliving the moment where her hand brushed Luke's. She felt like a teenager with a crush that didn't even know she existed again.

After her last class of the day, Julie was seeking some guidance, so she went to the place where she went to talk to her mom - the music studio. Her mom probably spent more time there than inside the house, so Julie always felt more connected to her out there.

Julie was relieved to see that the studio was empty when she arrived. The last thing she needed was for Luke to be there while she was asking her mom about him.

"Hey, Mom," Julie said into the empty room. "So, I've kinda found myself in a really weird position. So... I think I kinda have a crush on Luke. Yeah, that Luke." She laughed. "I don't think anything is ever going to happen, so I just need your help to get over this. Thanks, Mom."

As she signed and flopped down on the couch, the door opened behind her, and in walked the one person that she didn't want to see, but also wanted to see more than anything - Luke.

"Oh, uh, hey, Julie." He stuttered when he saw her. She looked up at him, but he never made eye contact.

"Hey," she replied, slightly disappointed.

"Uh, I wrote a song last night, and, well," he seemed nervous. "I wanted to... do you want to hear it?"

"Sure." She smiled slightly, sitting up.

"Ok, uh, here it goes." He smiled, grabbing his acoustic guitar.

He took a deep breath.

" _S_ _tep into my world  
Bittersweet love story about a girl  
Shook me to the core  
Voice like an angel, I've never heard before  
Here in front of me  
Shining so much brighter than I have ever seen  
Life can be so mean  
But when he goes I know he doesn't leave  
The truth is finally breaking through  
Two worlds collide when I'm with you  
Our voices rise and soar so high  
We come to life when we're  
In perfect harmony  
Woah, woah  
Perfect harmony  
Woah, woah  
Perfect harmony  
You set me free  
You and me together is more than chemistry  
Love me as I am  
I'll hold your music here inside my hands  
We say we're friends, we play pretend  
You're more to me, we're everything  
Our voices rise and soar so high  
We come to life when we're  
In perfect harmony  
Woah, woah  
Perfect harmony  
Woah, woah  
Perfect harmony  
I feel your rhythm in my heart, yeah  
You are my brightest, burning star, woah-woah  
I never knew a love so real (So real)  
We're heaven on earth, melody and words  
When we are together we're  
In perfect harmony  
Woah, woah  
Perfect harmony  
Woah, woah  
Perfect harmony  
We say we're friends  
We play pretend  
You're more to me  
We create a perfect harmony_."

As the song ended, Julie gasped.


	4. Please Don't Leave, I Want To Talk

Luke was having a hard time gauging Julie's reaction to his song for just one gasp. He was expecting her to say something, or as a question, or something.

He was not expecting her to run out of the studio.

He ran out after her, calling, "Julie! Julie, wait!" But, to no avail. Once he put down the guitar and ran out of the studio, Julie was gone.

As he walked back into the studio, he decided that giving her space was probably the best idea right now. He kinda dropped a bomb on her and she probably needed a minute.

He pulled out his phone.

**Luke:** _Hey, jules, if u wanna talk let me know_

He sent the text, then instantly wondered if he shouldn't have. He sat there waiting for her to say something, anything, but no text came. Even an 'I don't like you like that leave me alone' would have been better than this.

* * *

There was only one word to describe how Julie was feeling right now - shocked. Luke liked her back? It wasn't possible.

She picked up her phone and stared at the text Luke sent, her brain unable to comprehend what he even sang in that song, let alone draft a text to him.

She thought back to the song. _We say we're friends, we play pretend_? _I've never known a love so real_? Did he really write those lyrics about her?

* * *

Eventually, Luke gave up staring at his phone and moved on to doing other things, mostly because he had band practice with the guys in five minutes and he didn't want to be thinking about Julie the entire time. He was gonna have a hard time with that, though.

Bobby and Alex got there on time, and Reggie was late, per usual. Luke always said his perpetual lateness would get better with age, but it just got worse, especially since he and his wife had kids. He just couldn't keep track of time.

Luke laid out a few new songs on the piano. "Here's some new stuff I wrote. Which ones do you guys wanna do?"

The boys looked over the songs, but it didn't take Reggie long to mock, "Ooh, what's this?" and pick up a song. Luke looked over his shoulder and saw that it was _Perfect Harmony_ , the song he wrote for Julie.

"That's nothing," Luke said, trying to grab it from Reggie's hand, but he lifted it above his head where Luke couldn't get it. 

Alex took it from Reggie's hand, and Bobby and Reggie looked over Alex's shoulder as they all read it.

"Oooh, our Lukie's in looooooove." Alex singsonged.

"Yeah, yeah," Luke said, grabbing again at the paper again, and failing from taking it from Alex's grasp.

"Who's it about?" Bobby smirked.

"None of your business," Luke replied, trying to grab the paper and failing for the third time.

"C'mon, tell us." Reggie tried. "We always told you about the girls we liked."

Alex cleared his throat.

"And guys." Reggie revised.

"Yeah, not this time," Luke said, finally succeeding at grabbing the paper back.

"Luke, we never hide things from each other." Alex pointed out. "That's why this works."

"Yeah, I know," Luke said. "I'll tell you at some point, but not right now."

"C'mon dude, just tell us. What's the big deal?" Bobby asked.

"Fine, but you can't tell anyone," Luke emphasized.

"We won't, we promise," Alex said.

"Well, he promises." Reggie joked, and Luke shot him a dirty look. "Fine, I promise."

Luke took a deep breath. "It's Julie."

"Julie?" They all asked at the same time.

"Like, Julie Molina? Lives in that house right behind us Julie?" Reggie asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Luke sighed.

"Please tell me you didn't sing this to her," Alex begged.

"I did." Luke sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. "I did, and she didn't say anything after. She just ran out."

"Dude, she's twenty-two." Bobby pointed out.

"I know that, don't you think I know that?" Luke snapped, then immediately said, "Sorry."

All three of them looked at him sympathetically.

"You can't pursue this, Luke," Alex said.

"Too late," Luke said, sitting down on the couch. Bobby, Alex, and Reggie all started whispering, and he knew they were talking about him, but he couldn't bring himself to care at the time.

"What am I gonna do?" He asked, standing up.

None of them said anything, just stared, but not at him, at the door. Luke turned around.

"Julie." He said as his eyes fell on her face, and he couldn't keep himself from smiling. She turned to leave, but Luke said, "Please don't leave, I want to talk."

She nodded, and they both walked outside to the driveway, and Luke turned to his bandmates before walking out the door and said, "Please don't listen in. I need this to be private." Alex nodded, and Alex knew he would make sure Bobby and Reggie obeyed his wishes.

He closed the door behind him as he left the studio. They stood about five feet apart. He smiled as his eyes fell on Julie, and she saw a small smile cross her face as their eyes met for a moment, then she dropped her gaze to the ground. Luke wanted to take that smile as a good sign, but he didn't know if she should or not.

She took a deep breath, then said, "I just... don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"I've had a crush on you since as long as I can remember." Just explained, and Luke's heart soared. "But it was a childhood crush. And, Luke, you're twenty-five years older than me. That's a lot of time. That song was amazing, but, I don't think we can really ever act on this."

Luke took a step closer to Julie, and said, "Julie, age is just a number. I'm crazy about you. I really wanna try this and see where it goes."

"I understand, Luke, but I'm twenty-two years old. I'm still in college. There's so much I want to do with my life! And you're almost fifty! You and I... as much as I'm crazy about you, too, I just don't see it working."

"First of all, I'm only forty-seven. We're not bringing up fifty until I actually am fifty." Luke insisted, and Julie giggled half-heartedly. He took another step towards her. "And, Julie, everything you want to do, I want to do it with you. I can't picture my life without you."

Julie smiled a little bit and closed the distance between them by grabbing his hand. "Ok, we can try this, just so long as you promise to sing me that song again."

"I promise." He smiled.


	5. Greasy Diner Food is Better

Luke was on a high as he walked back into the studio. Julie had to go meet up with Flynn for coffee, so she couldn't stay, but Luke couldn't wipe that stupid grin off his face.

"What happened? We've been dying in here!" Reggie exclaimed when he got back in.

"I was out there for five minutes." Luke pointed out.

"Just tell us!" Reggie asked. Sometimes Luke swore Reggie had an overactive puppy living inside him.

"She and I are going on a date." He said, but he didn't quite believe the words as they were coming out of his mouth. He thought this day would never come.

He looked at his bandmate's faces, and he could tell that they weren't sure whether to be happy for him or not.

"Please be happy for me." He pleaded, looking each of his bandmates in the eye.

"We are, man," Alex said, walking up to him and clapping him on the back. "We're happy if you're happy."

"Just don't break her heart." Reggie pointed out.

"I won't," Luke smirked and picked up his guitar. "So, who's ready to rock?"

* * *

Julie and Luke had decided to do dinner and a concert for their date, and Julie had spent the entire day of her date distracted. She was excited and nervous at the same time.

Two hours before Luke was coming to pick her up, she started getting ready. She showered, blow-dried her hair, put her makeup on, changed her outfit three times (she finally settled on a red button-up shirt and black jeans with black combat boots that used to be her moms), then did her hair. By the time she was putting the finishing touches on her hair, she heard her phone ding.

She grabbed it excitedly thinking it was Luke, but when she read it, she was disappointed to see that it wasn't. It was still fifteen minutes before Luke was supposed to be here anyway.

**Flynn:** _good luck on ur date girlie! ;)_

Julie laughed at the text, then sat down on her bed. She opened up Instagram and started mindlessly scrolling through her feed, not really taking any of it in.

A text finally made her phone ding.

**Luke:** _I'm outside :)_

Julie squealed (yes, she's a twenty-two-year-old woman and she squealed), jumped up off of her bed and ran down the stairs and out the was sitting on the hood of the car when she got outside.

"Hey," she smiled when she saw him.

"Hey yourself." She smiled back.

They both went to open the passenger door, and their hands brushed. They both laughed. She let him open the door, and she got in the car.

"Where are we going to dinner?" She asked as he got in the car. He insisted on picking where they were eating.

"You'll see when we get there," Luke smirked, and started driving.

They drove all the way across LA to Julie and Luke's favorite diner. The band always went there's after their gigs in LA, and Julie went with them whenever she went to the gigs.

She smiled as they parked. Luke asked, "Is this ok?"

"This is perfect," Julie replied, smiling impossibly wider.

They got out of the car, and as they walked in, neither of them could really decide if they should hold hands or not. Their hands brushed multiple times, but never actually intertwined.

"This is an interesting little relationship we have here," Luke commented as he pulled the door open.

They got a table for two and sat down.

"As much as I like fancy restaurants, there really is nothing like greasy diner food," Julie commented as she read the menu.

"Exactly." Luke agreed.

Their dinner was a little awkward at first. They had a hard time finding things to talk about, so it was kind of silent. But, when Luke eventually brought up music, their conversation really flowed.

After dinner, they got back into the car and drove to the concert. It was for a small up-and-coming rock band. Luke and Julie weren't surprised when a few people asked for his autograph at the concert. Sunset Curve was a world-famous band in it's prime, and the band they were seeing played the same style music.

They had a good time at the concert. The band wasn't great, but they definitely had potential. And as they were walking out of the concert hall, Julie finally felt Luke grab her hand, and she smiled.

When they got back to Julie's house, Julie was surprised that Luke started to lead her back to the studio.

Once they got there, Luke had a stupidly cute grin on his face, and it was contagious, because it made Julie smile, too.

"Sit down." He instructed, gesturing to the couch in the back of the room, and she did. Luke picked up his acoustic guitar and started strumming.

He started playing a love song that Julie vaguely recognized from the radio, and she smiled even wider. He played love song after love song, and Julie jumped in and harmonized when she could.

Eventually, Luke abandoned the guitar and started just singing a cappella so they could dance. He had his arm around her waist, holding her close to him, and was singing in her ear. She never wanted this moment to end.

Julie was a little disappointed when he pulled away, but her heart soared when he kissed her. It was like time stopped as they stood there, and Julie hoped she would never need to come up for air.

When they pulled away, both of them were breathing heavily and smiling.

* * *

Julie and Luke went on more and more dates and started spending more and more time together after that night until it got to the point where they were spending almost every free minute together. Flynn got pissed off when Julie started spending less time with her, but when Julie told her that she was dating someone, Flynn was happy for her and wondered when she got to meet the mystery guy.

Julie and Luke had decided to keep their relationship a secret for a while (except the band, because Luke was physically incapable of keeping a secret from them, and Julie was ok with that. She didn't really like keeping it from Flynn, though). They just wanted to see where things were going with them before they started telling people because they knew that people wouldn't totally approve of the age difference.

Julie started coming to band practices more often to see Luke in his element. The guys pretended to be annoyed because it threw him off his game a little bit, but in reality, they thought it was cute. After all, their spouses all came to band practices when they started dating, and they were all a little distracted, too.


	6. Sing With Us

Julie had finally told Flynn who she was dating after she and Luke had been together for about a month. They were still keeping it a secret from everyone else, though. They weren't quite ready to tell the world yet.

"How do you think your dad is going to react?" Flynn asked when Julie finally came clean.

"I don't know, but it's not going to be good," Julie admitted. Telling her dad was the ring she was most dreading. Though she was technically an adult and he didn't have any power over her anymore, she still wanted him to approve of her relationship, because she was starting to fall in love with Luke.

* * *

"Hey, Julie?" Luke said while they were hanging out together in the studio one day while Luke was writing.

"What up?" She asked, looking up from the homework she was doing. Luke smiled at her when their eyes met. He couldn't help it, she was just so cute. That made her giggle and smile back.

"I was talking to the guys yesterday, and, we were wondering if you wanted to sing with us on our next album," Luke explained.

"Really?" She asked, getting up off the couch and crossing the room to sit next to him on the piano bench.

"Yeah," he smiled, wrapping his arm around her waist. "You have a killer voice and the guys and I thought it would be cool to have a girl sing with us again."

She smiled and put her head down on his shoulder, and he could hear her sniffling.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked her, pushing her hair away from her face and kissing her temple.

"No, nothings wrong." She smiled. "It's just that my mom sang with you guys, and it makes me feel more connected to her."

Luke held her as she sniffled, then something came to mind, "You would probably have to come on our summer tour with us if you're on the album."

"I have no problems with that." She smiled, picking her head up off of his shoulder and pulling him in for a kiss.

* * *

Julie got into Flynn's car the next day when she picked her up for their Music Production class.

"Guess what?" She said as she put her seatbelt on.

"What?" Flynn asked, pulling into the street and driving towards their school.

"Luke asked me to sing with the band for their new album!" She exclaimed.

"That's awesome, Julie!" Flynn exclaimed. "Just like your mom."

"Yeah." Julie smiled. "And that's not all. He asked me to go on tour with them this summer, too."

"That's so cool!" Flynn replied. "I'm so jealous. You get to spend an entire summer on the road with your hot boyfriend."

"I know, I'm so excited." Julie smiled. She genuinely couldn't wait for this summer.

"You know that means you have to tell your dad about you and Luke, right?" Flynn pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Julie asked.

"Well," Flynn started as they pulled into a parking space outside the music building, "you're going on a three-month road trip with your boyfriend, and your dad doesn't even know you're dating."

"So? I'm an adult. He doesn't need to be updated on every aspect of my life." Julie complained.

"Julie, you need to tell him," Flynn said. "I know you don't want to because your worried he'll disprove, but you can't tell him that you're dating him. Don't you want him to know?"

"Yeah, I do." Julie sighed.

Flynn turned off the car and got out. "C'mon, were gonna be late."

* * *

Julie spent the entire day dreading talking to her dad that afternoon. She wanted to believe that he would be happy for her, but she just wasn't sure.

"Dad?" She called as she walked into the house.

"In the kitchen!" He called, and she went to meet him there.

"Hey," She greeted.

"Hey," he smiled back, hugging her. "How was school?"

"Fine." She replied, putting her backpack down on the floor. "So, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" He asked while grabbing food from the freezer to make for dinner.

"They guys asked me to record some songs with them for their album, and go on tour with them," Julie said, starting with the easy stuff first. She knew he wouldn't have a problem with that. He trusted the band and knew they wouldn't let anything happen to her, even on a tour across the country.

"That's awesome, sweetie!" He replied. "When do you guys leave?"

"June fifteenth." She replied. "Two weeks after the album drops."

"Cool." He replied, preheating the oven.

"There's something else." She tried.

"What is it?" He asked, putting the frozen meal in the oven and setting a timer.

Julie hesitated for a second. She couldn't do it. At least not yet, anyway. "Nevermind, its nothing."

"Are you sure?" He asked, turning to look at her.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She smiled sadly. She could wait a few more days before telling him.

* * *

The next month for Julie was a flurry of homework, finals, recording songs for the album, and planning for the tour. She was so glad when graduation finally came so she could stop worrying about school. She wasn't even going to think about job hunting until after the tour. She needed to put all of her focus into that right now.

Julie also never found the right time to tell her dad about her and Luke. As much as she wanted to, she just couldn't. It was too much.

* * *

One day, after a band meeting, Luke and Julie were cuddling on the couch in the studio, making out like teenagers during one of the few times they had alone together. The band had been practicing so much for the recording of the album, which they had finally finished the day before, and the tour. The album dropped in a week and they were leaving in three weeks, so they really needed to make sure they were ready.

Luke and Julie were so focused on each other that they didn't hear the studio door open.

"Julie, I-" Ray said as he walked into the studio, his jaw basically on the floor.

"Dad!" Julie exclaimed, jumping off of Luke's lap. "This- I-"

Ray shot a dirty look at Luke, shook his head, and walked away. Luke knew this wasn't going to end well.


	7. I Don't Want You Going On That Tour

Julie ran out of the studio and followed her dad back to the house.

"Dad!" She yelled as she walked in the door. "Dad, wait!"

She found him in the kitchen.

"I don't want you going on that tour, Julie," Ray said matter-of-factly when he saw her.

"Dad, it's not what it looks like." She pleaded. "We-"

"He's taking advantage of you and I won't have it!" He exclaimed.

"Dad, he's not! We're in love." She said, thinking back to the time they said I love you for the first time while sitting on the roof of the studio just a few weeks ago and smiling.

"You're not going on that tour!" He said, putting his foot down.

"I'm going, Dad, and I'm an adult, so you can't stop me!" She screamed, running out of the house and out to the studio. She started crying as soon as she got there. Luke walked over to her and held her as she cried.

"What happened?" Luke asked when Julie had finally calmed down enough.

"He told me you were using me and that he didn't want me to go on tour, and I told him I'm an adult and I can do whatever I want, so I'm still going, and I just hate this." She cried.

"Do you want to sleep at my place tonight?" Luke offered.

"Yes, please." She said, tears still running down her face. "I just need to grab some clothes."

She ran back into the house and packed a bag for a few nights, not knowing when she'd be back. She was very careful to avoid her dad while she was there.

When she got back out to the driveway, she found Luke waiting in the car with the engine running. She hopped in the passenger seat and drove off without a word.

* * *

Luke felt so bad for Julie. He knew what it was like to fight with a parent over something like this. He ran out when he was seventeen because his parents didn't want him in a rock band. After they got big, he went back home and made up with his parents, but he remembered the pain of fighting with them, and he didn't want her to have to live with that.

Julie stayed at his place for the rest of the three weeks until they left, going back to her dad's once a week to get clothes. She said they hadn't spoken a word to each other in those three weeks, even when she saw him in the house once while she was grabbing clothes.

As much as he loved waking up next to her every morning, he really did want her and her dad to make up. He hated seeing her in pain.

* * *

Their album was a huge success when it dropped, and everyone loved Julie and what she added to the band, just as Luke suspected. They practiced every day at the studio for the two weeks before they left, and Luke was very careful to not run into Ray. Julie didn't want to deal with confrontation, and he wanted to make her happy.

* * *

The day before they left for the tour, they were having a band meeting in the studio.

"Ok," Luke said, pulling up the itinerary on his phone, Julie looking over his shoulder. "So, we're leaving tomorrow on the bus at nine and getting to Seattle by..."

Julie looked up when Luke stopped talking to see her dad standing in the doorway of the studio.

"Julie, can I talk to you?" He said.

"Yeah, sure." She replied, Luke gave her a reassuring look and squeezed her hand, and she got up and followed her dad into the driveway, closing the door behind her.

Neither of them spoke for a moment. They just stared at the pavement below their feet.

"Did you need something? Because I really need to get back to the meeting." Julie said, finally breaking the awkward silence.

"I just wanted to apologize," Ray said. "after seeing you and Luke together for the past few weeks, I can tell you really love him, so I just wanted you to know that before you left tomorrow."

Julie smiled, unable to produce words to express her gratitude. She just ran over to him and hugged him.

"Thank you, dad." She smiled.

They stood there for a few more minutes before Julie pulled away. "I should get back."

"Ok." He said. "You'll say goodbye before leaving tomorrow?"

"Of course." She replied. She smiled at him one more time before walking back into the studio, where Alex was going over the setlist.

She sat back down next to Luke. "What happened?" He whispered in her ear.

"He apologized." She whispered back, unable to keep the smile off her face. "And he's given us his blessing."

"I'm so happy for you." Luke smiled, kissing her on the cheek.

"Hey, lovebirds," Alex called, getting their attention. "pay attention. Remember, we leave tomorrow."

* * *

Julie finished packing that afternoon and spent the night barhopping with Flynn as their big goodbye. Then the next morning, she said goodbye to her Dad and Carlos, and she and Luke helped finish packing the bus with all of their gear from the studio.

Then, they set off.


	8. Perfect Harmony (Epilogue)

Julie had the time of her life on the tour. She finally understood why the boys loved these so much, despite the fact that they were away from their families for months.

They drove all over the country, playing four to five shows a week. They saw so many amazing cities and met so many amazing people.

And playing for huge crowds was exhilarating. Julie was super nervous her first night, but Luke reassured her that he would be there the whole time if she needed him and that playing a concert wasn't all that different than playing something at school. With the bright stage lights on their faces, they could barely see the audience at all. She loved every second of it, and by their second show, she was totally comfortable up on that stage.

Their first show was in Seattle, then they traveled all across the northern states and played in major cities there, even playing a few shows in Canada, then played a whole bunch of east coast cities, then traveled back around down south. Reggie begged the rest of the guys to let him play a country song while they were down south, but they all said no. Sunset Curve was not a country band, end of story, to quote Luke. Then they finally traveled back up the west coast and ended up back in their very own City of Angles for their very last show.

All five of them were just a little sad going into the last show, but still happy to be home after three months of being away from family. Bobby and Reggie missed their wives and kids, and Alex missed his husband Willie, who he finally got to marry in 2008 when marriage equality was legalized in California. All of them were in the crowd that night, and so was Julie's dad, Carlos, and Flynn, who were given tickets before they left.

That night, they all had an amazing time on stage. They gave every song everything they had, but when it came time for _Perfect Harmony_ (they turned it into a duet and recorded it for the album), something a little different from the other shows happened.

Julie was confused when they didn't just start the next song when their duet was over like usual. Instead, Luke took Julie's hand, and he led her to the front and center of the stage.

"What's happening?" She asked, careful to keep the mics they were holding from picking her up.

"You'll see." He smirked, then brought the mic to his mouth.

"For those of you who don't know, I wrote that song for my amazing girlfriend, Julie." He said, and the crowd cheered. "She and I have only been together for a few months now, but there is one thing I know for certain." He turned to Julie and spoke directly to her instead of the crowd. "Julie, you are the love of my life. It took me a long time to find you, and now that I have, I never want to let you go." He dropped down on one knee and pulled out a ring, and Julie gasped at the same time as the crowd went '"Aww!"

"Julie Molina, will you marry me?" He asked, mic in one hand, ring in the other.

"Yes!" She shouted, without hesitation. Her mic was nowhere near her mouth (She totally forgot she was holding it), but it still picked her up because she was so loud. Luke smiled, slipped the ring on her finger, and stood up and kissed her as the crowd cheered. Julie couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the set.

* * *

Luke and Julie started house hunting and wedding planning about a week after they got home. Despite what Flynn and the band said, neither of them wanted a big wedding. They just wanted a small thing with just family and close friends.

They ended up getting married on the beach in LA, and it was a perfect day. The two of them couldn't keep their eyes off each other all day, and anyone looking could tell they were in love.

They bought a small house on the beach and moved in a few weeks before the wedding so that they could just live their lives without boxes and unpacking when they got home from their honeymoon, which was Italy, Luke's favorite place to play while they were still doing world tours.

Three months after the wedding, Julie found out she was pregnant, and nine months later, she gave birth to twins, a little boy named Trevor, and a little girl named Rose, after Julie's mom.

Julie also officially joined Sunset Curve. The fans loved her so much that she became an official member of the band. They only went on tours every couple of years now, but recorded music all the time and loved every second of it.

Julie and Luke taught their kids how to play instruments and how to sing once they were old enough, and made sure they had as much music in their lives as possible.

Luke and Julie loved their life together. Though it wasn't exactly how either of them imagined it, they still loved it, and each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for Reading! I hope you enjoyed it!  
> Comment and Kudos are always appreciated!  
> Kisses,  
> Lilluv


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